Salk finds possible way to fight Alzheimer's

Dave R. Schubert, professor and head of the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, studies hormones and other substances that affect the activities and survival of brain cells. Much of his research is providing new insights into Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative brain disorders. — Salk Institute

A Salk Institute scientist says he has developed a drug that enhances memory and preserves brain function in mice with Alzheimer's disease, an advance that could lead to testing in humans.

Neuroscientist David Schubert claims that the drug, known as J147, could be ready for phase one human trials in as little as a year if he can raise funding for the project.

"We have taken a different approach to the problem than the pharmaceutical industry, which has been developing drugs that fight one target, the build up of amyloid plaque in the brain," said Schubert, director of Salk's Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory.

Schubert's research, done in conjunction with The Scripps Research Institute, will be published online today in the journal PloS One.

Scientists are struggling to make significant progress in treating Alzheimer's, a progressive disease that afflicts about 5.4 million Americans. The figure is expected to rise rapidly. UC San Diego neuroscientist Lawrence Goldstein said earlier this year, "As the baby boomers age, and as we continue to make strong progress against premature death from cancer and heart disease, the burden of Alzheimer's disease will continue to rise unless we solve the problem."

The drug compound J147. — Salk Institute

Drugs have been brought to market. But Schubert says that Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne "only alleviate symptoms of memory loss for short periods of time. These drugs have no effect on the progression of the disease."

He thinks that scientists could make better progress by shifting their focus from simply trying to prevent the formation of amyloid plaques to fighting the toxins that damage aging brains and finding ways to activate memory centers.

Schubert said he achieved both results in mice that were required to carry out a variety of memory tests, such as recalling the location of an object and whether it was something to be avoided.

“No drugs on the market for Alzheimer’s have both of these properties," says Schubert, who is 68. "I'm enthusiastic about the approach we're taking."

But he was circumspect, adding that, "Clinical trials for Alzheimer's can be harder than those for cancer. And the overall trials could take 8-10 years to get FDA certification. The chances of that happening aren't great. But you never know. We have to do the best we can."